


Chickens in The Yard

by TheSunshineDragon



Series: Pieces of The Healer's Cottage [7]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Angst, Family, Fluff, Gen, Humor, I'll add other tags as I get further into this fic, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:35:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26386513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSunshineDragon/pseuds/TheSunshineDragon
Summary: The cottage is crowded with the eight of them, but they wouldn't have it any other way. Life's peaceful with Minho and Felix going about their usual healer work, the Knight Trio working on their bard skills, Seungmin and Jeongin keeping the Healer's Cottage from falling to into disrepair, and Hyunjin coming and going as he pleases on his travels. Then someone from Minho's past decides to show up and rudely invade their lives, shattering the hard-won peace that they had built around themselves.
Series: Pieces of The Healer's Cottage [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1917703
Comments: 10
Kudos: 24





	1. Short Lived

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am 100% procrastinating on my homework. 
> 
> Also, I think I probably have over a dozen comma splices in here, but I don't know my English grammer enough to pick them out, so apologizes. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Seungmin stared at the chickens that were currently motoring around the front yard of Minho and Felix’s cottage. In his hand was a metal bucket filled with scraps from breakfast. He eyed a particularly mean rooster by the road he had had the displeasure of meeting his first day at the cottage. With a calculating look in his eyes, he stepped off of the front porch and promptly whacked the bucket on the side of the porch railing with a loud bang, jumping back at the sound.

Jeongin peeked out the open front window at the loud yell that suddenly erupted from the yard, only to see Seungmin taking off across the yard, a blue and green feathered blur not far behind him. Snickering, he returned to his work repairing the broken floorboard underneath said front window, tools scattered around him.

Ever since they'd gotten back from their first adventure, he and Seungmin had, in the attempt to keep themselves busy (though some suspected it was also to keep their minds from wandering to the past), taken up the job of keeping the Healer's Cottage in repair. Minho and Felix had done the best they could between their jobs, but the place still needed some extra care.

Hence why Jeongin had decided today was Floorboard Day, as Han had aptly named it when he nearly tripped over Jeongin in the kitchen early this morning on his hunt for the coffee pot. Over a dozen floorboards needed to be replaced, so Jeongin had decided to go methodically room by room and mark which ones needed to be replaced, starting with the easy ones first and leaving the more difficult ones for later.

Paranoia kept the squeaky ones where they were.

Looking out the window again to see what Seungmin was up to, he erupted in laughter at the poor boy who was now perched up on the fence trying to fend off the rooster and feed the chickens, who had collected at his feet in a feathery lump, at the same time. Shaking his head, he returned to his task, enjoying the breeze that was lazily making its way through the open doors and windows.

~~~

Minho and Felix were on their way home from the mess that had been burns from a cooking accident at the local tavern. The road through the woods was quiet, seeing as it went the opposite direction that the main road ran, so traffic from wagons and riders was practically nonexistent on any given day.

Felix suddenly took an abrupt detour to step a few feet into the woods, spying lamb's ear, something that they were low on.

"You know we have that in the garden."

"Yeah, but it's not growing fast enough at the rate we're going through it," Felix shot back, gently pulling the entire plant, roots and all, from the ground and wrapping it in a shred of cloth, placing it in his bag.

Minho rolled his eyes and huffed, walking the short distance to another plant of a different variety that he'd spied, doing the same thing as Felix had, pulling the entire plant out from the ground.

The sound of hoofbeats sounded in the distance, but they didn't pay much attention until Minho realized that it was a rather larger group that was rapidly approaching, the hoofbeats getting louder and louder.

Felix frowned and looked at Minho as he rose from the ground and peered out among the trees, trying to see who was approaching. He stood up and joined Minho, placing a careful hand on the man's shoulder, noticing the penknife that was at the ready. They watched as a squad of horses went galloping by, slowing down when one of the riders noticed the two healers standing in the woods.

Minho hissed, feet subtlety shifting into a fighting stance when he noticed the uniforms the cavalrymen were wearing.

"What is going on? Who are they?" Felix whispered, face twisting in confusion at Minho's response to the horse riders in black, silver, and purple uniforms that were now approaching them.

Minho never had a chance to answer.

Felix suddenly collapsed with a groan, falling limply onto the forest floor as he was knocked out from behind. Minho whipped around in shock, only for stars to dance across his vision before everything went black.

~~~

The sun was low in the horizon when Chan, Han, and Changbin finally arrived home. The chickens scattered across the yard as they reigned their horses in and walked them to the barn, quietly talking about their day, laughing and joking around. They banged their boots against the side of the railing as they filed onto the porch, clumps of mud and straw falling off.

Surprisingly, Seungmin was in the kitchen, stirring a pot of something that smelled delicious.

"Where's Minho and Felix?" Chan asked in way of greeting, dumping his boots in the shoe pile that was mounding in the entryway.

"They haven't come home yet," Seungmin replied, pulling tankards and trenchers from a cupboard.

"Any message?"

Seungmin shook his head 'no'.

Chan frowned.

Usually if Minho and Felix had a job that was going to end up being an overnighter, they sent someone back to the house to let the rest of the gang know what was going on.

And they never forgot.

"Should we..." Han started to say as Hyunjin suddenly crashed loudly through the back door, long hair flying everywhere as he hauled a barely upright person with him.

"I need help!"

Seungmin started, dropping the trenchers, one cracking into two pieces as it hit the floor. Changbin and Chan ran over to Hyunjin, helping him drag the boy over to the kitchen table. His stomach dropped when he saw it was Felix.

"His head is bleeding!"

"Someone get bandages and water!"

"Felix, can you hear me? Felix!"

The world slowed and Seungmin stumbled backwards into the living room, until he ran into the couch, collapsing into a small ball in one of its corners.

It wasn't until after they had cleaned Felix up and gotten him more awake that Jeongin had found him, shaking like a leaf, silent tears slipping down his cheeks.

~~~

"Felix, hey, stay with us. You can't fall asleep just yet."

Felix blinked wearily at the face in front of him, his brain very slowly registering that it was Chan talking to him.

Their leader smiled softly. "Good man. Can you tell us what happened?"

Felix frowned as he concentrated. "We...we were attacked? Yeah...that's...right...wait...where's Minho?"

They all looked at Hyunjin, who shook his head in the negative. "I couldn't find him anywhere. No bag, no body, no nothing."

"Well that's alarming," Han deadpanned, looking back at Felix, who was still struggling to stay awake. "What else do you remember, Lix?"

Felix lightly shook his head, instantly regretting the action as the room spun. "I don't...I don't...remember."

Chan huffed. "That's okay. Han, can you get him up to his room? We'll ask him again later."

Han nodded. "Come on, let's go, Felix."

As soon as the twins left, Chan got up and started pacing the kitchen. Changbin watched him for a minute before rapping his knuckles on the wood. "Hey, stop that, you're making me anxious just watching you."

"What else am I supposed to do?!" Chan threw his hands up in frustration. "Someone attacked our _family,_ Felix is _injured,_ Minho's _missing,_ and it's too late to go searching for them." He gestured at the now dark window. "Who would want to hurt Minho and Felix?" Chan questioned, sighing.

Hyunjin had served himself some of the now cold stew, sitting on the counter, feet swinging. "You don't think it has anything to do with those knights a few years back, do you?"

Chan swiveled on his heel in a perfect military turn. "Say that again?"

"The knights from where Minho's originally from," Hyunjin said, scooping up more stew and plopping it onto his trencher. "Do you think they did it?"

Changbin and Chan looked at each other, Changbin shrugged. "It _is_ possible, but..."

"We won't know for sure until Felix remembers or we search the area in the morning," Chan said bitterly, sitting at the table. He sighed and plopped his head into his hands.

Jeongin shuffled quietly into the kitchen, wrapped in a blanket. He grabbed a tankard and scooped some of the stew into it.

"How's Seungmin?" Chan asked, turning his attention on their youngest. Jeongin waved his hand side to side, not speaking, his eyes downcast as he moved around the kitchen.

"How are _you_?" Hyunjin asked quietly, setting his trencher down on the counter.

Jeongin opened his mouth, then quickly closed it, fear flashing across his face for a second before shaking his head 'no'. Hyunjin slid off of the counter and held his arms open. Jeongin practically dove into his arms, squishing the tankard between the two of them, but neither cared.

Changbin and Chan watched the two rock back and forth quietly for a minute, Hyunjin quietly comforting Jeongin.

They still didn't know Jeongin and Seungmin's entire story and even after all this time the trauma lingered. It was heartbreaking to watch sometimes, like right now. Their fox-like, mischievous youngest was usually spritely, happily working on whatever project he'd assigned himself. Same with their puppy-esque second-youngest, who still refused to go into the village without someone with him. But watching Jeongin struggle to not have a breakdown while one of his closest friends was struggling with trauma, was devastating.

Chan hated it. Hated watching them have to go through it. Hated watching how Seungmin still jumped whenever a door shut too loudly or Han suddenly decided it was a good time to suddenly shout-sing a lyric at the top of his lungs. Hated watching Jeongin feeling the need to leave the doors and floorboards squeaky as a precautious against intruders or have to be reminded occasionally that he needed (and could) eat.

He would do anything to rid the boys of their pasts, but unfortunately that was beyond his capabilities.

Chan was dragged back to reality as Hyunjin exited the kitchen with Jeongin to go check on Seungmin and see if he could help. 

"Chan, we should eat before we go to bed." Han suddenly appeared in the kitchen in a fresh change of clothes.

Right, like Chan didn't have his own problems that included forgetting to eat and his inability to sleep regularly like a normal human being.

He nodded numbly in agreement, still thinking about their missing member.

When the sun came peeking over the horizon, Chan was out on the porch, sword resting beside him as he watched the chickens roam the yard for food. He hadn't slept a wink, too wound up to relax. He jumped as the porch creaked, sword halfway out of its sheath as he turned around to see who was sneaking up on him.

Seungmin stared at him with wide eyes, two mugs of steaming hot coffee in his hands.

Chan lowered his sword, looking sheepish. "Morning."

Seungmin nodded in return, wordlessly offering a mug to Chan.

"Thanks."

They settled onto the porch, Seungmin keeping a noticeable distance away from Chan, his blanket wrapped tightly around his shoulders like a shield, but Chan was thankful he had at least made an appearance this morning after yesterday.

Maybe things weren't that bad after all.

"We're going to go after him," Chan finally said. "We'll find him."

_Dead or alive, though?_ echoed in the back of Chan's head, but he shoved that thought aside.

"We just need Felix to remember who took him."

~~~

Minho was rudely awakened into a panicked state, the sack still over his head, his hands and feet tied tightly together. He jerked violently, then suddenly had a feeling of weightlessness before the air was knocked out of his lungs as he hit the rough ground.

With a groan, he slowly rolled over, trying to catch his breath. Suddenly, hands grabbed him, hauling him upright. As he struggled against the hands, the sack was ripped from his head and he blinked in the firelight that assaulted his eyes, freezing when he saw the men surrounding the campfire.

"Welcome back, Minho," was whispered in his ear. Minho jerked away. Or, tried to, anyways. The hands on his shoulders kept him solidly on the ground, preventing him from moving too far.

"Ah, ah, ah, you're not going anywhere. We finally found you and we're not letting you go anywhere this time."

"Let me go!" Minho hated the fact that his voice suddenly cracked in fear, giving away how he was really feeling.

"Oh, is somebody scared?"

Great, now someone else was coming over from the campfire, long legs eating up the distance between Minho and the campfire.

The round face leaned way too far into Minho's space, making him lean back until he bumped into someone else.

"You should've never left, Minho."

Minho glared, digging up some courage from deep in him. "You can't drag me back," he growled, jerking against the ropes again.

"Really? Because it seems like we already are." The face smirked and Minho suddenly landed flat on his back as the person who was supporting him let go.

Laughter rang in Minho's ears as his captors walked away, leaving Minho in the dirt, trying to control his shaking and his fear.

He didn't sleep the whole night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, so I had random idea for a medieval AU that involved Minho and Felix being healers, starring 3RACHA as knights, Hyunjin being a trader/merchant, and featuring the rest in roles that I have yet to flushed out (except that Seungmin is a runaway servant and Hyunjin saved Jeongin from some bad place awhile back, don't know what or where yet), so feel free to call this idea solidly half-baked, maybe even a quarter-baked. Originally it started as a multi-chapter fic involving a coup that landed an almost dead 3RACHA on the doorstep of Minho & Felix's cottage, and the rest of the gang coming along by other means (and maybe NCT or BTS showing up somewhere to help out?) but then it just wasn't clicking as a long single story, so I decided to try a different format for it and do something similar to kayeblaise's SVT Immortals AU series & maelstromdeparture's On The Right Road series (which, btw, are all brilliant pieces of work). What does this mean, you may ask?
> 
> Basically, this is going to be a very out-of-order series that involves one-shots and shorter multi-chapter stories of SKZ in a Medieval AU. I'll keep an updated list as I write these, but yeah, there was no way this was going to work as a single fic.
> 
> TL;DR
> 
> I've conjured up the idea of a SKZ Medieval AU and it's being published as out-of-order one-shots and multi-chapter fics series that will be posted under the name 'Pieces of the Healer's Cottage'. If you have questions about it, you can ask in the comments section or my tumblr (link posted on my profile).
> 
> Have a fabulous day!


	2. Trail of Ashes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chan, Han, and Changbin start their search for Minho, while Minho takes a walk down memory lane (almost literally).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *comes running in* IT'S HERE, IT'S HERE, IT'S FINALLY HERE!
> 
> I am so sorry about the long wait for this. I got slammed with school because I ended up struggling to pass my classes (but I only failed one out of four, so yay me!) and then I had some personal stuff come up and then it took FOREVER to figure out how to write this because guess who has literally none of the middle of this figured out and probably should have before she started writing it (I'm still not 100% happy with how this chapter ended up, but all well). Anyways, it's here and hopefully it's okay. I wrote most of it in the wee hours of the morning, so idk how coherent any of it is, but here we are. This honestly is probably more of a filler/setting the stage chapter than anything. I needed to move my pieces from one place to the next to get the plot going :D

It took Chan far longer than he would’ve liked to get plans into place. It was decided that he, Changbin, and Han would go after Minho. Hyunjin would search Rothbury for any clues or news. Seungmin and Jeongin would stay with Felix, who was still out of it, even after sleeping most of the night.

“I don’t like this,” Hyunjin said, leaning against the porch railing as the trio packed their horses. “It seems dangerous to leave the house so unprotected.”

“I don’t disagree,” Chan said, tightening a saddle strap. “But we also don’t know how many took Minho. We need all three of us.”

“But what if they come back, Chan? I won’t be here either, Seungmin and Jeongin can’t defend themselves, and Felix is in no condition to fight.”

Chan sighed and thudded his head on the saddle in frustration. He hated difficult decisions with lots of unknowns (and a questioning Hyunjin who could probably think of every angle and question to examine this whole thing at if he had the time). Changbin finally spoke up. “It’s unlikely they’ll come back. If we’re right, they were only after one target and they didn’t kill Felix. You’ll be fine, Hyunjin.”

“Unless they thought Felix was dead,” Hyunjin grumbled underneath his breath. “Fine,” he said louder. “But if anything happens…”

“It won’t,” Chan said firmly, mounting his horse. “If we’re not back in three days, you know what to do, right?”

Hyunjin nodded, waving a piece of parchment that was in his hand at Chan. “Hopefully it won’t come to this or you might owe me money,” he said dryly.

Chan gave him an unamused look as he mounted his horse. “Very funny, Mister Merchant.”  
  


Hyunjin shrugged nonchalantly. “Business is business. I have to make a profit somehow.”

Chan sighed as Han snickered quietly in the background. “Okay. Let’s go!”

They started back on the road that went into town from the healer’s cottage, searching for anything. It was slow going, before Han spotted hoofprints that went off on a nearly hidden side trail.

“Let’s search the area for anything before we go down the trail,” Chan said, dismounting. Han and Changbin also dismounted and the three spread out in the area.

“There’s nothing over here!”

“Same here!”

Han sighed at the calls of the other two. He opened his mouth to shout his own negative response when he saw the large shred of cloth dangling from a tree branch.

“I found something!”

He ran over to the tree and snatched it off of the limb. It was heavily stained and had probably once been white.

Like the shirts Minho always wore.

“What did you find?”

Han turned around and held up the torn piece of cloth.

“Let’s go.”

Just before they left to follow the trail, Chan nailed a small piece of black cloth with a trio white roosters embroidered on it to the tree nearest to where the trail started.

Changbin nodded as he observed the action. “Good idea, it’ll make it easier for us to be tracked.”

Chan mounted his horse. “Hopefully it won’t need to be used.”

The trail was dense and overgrown, making it slow going. But there were fresh horse tracks and plenty of broken foliage, reenforcing the guess that it was the way Minho’s kidnappers had gone. After a couple hours of heading north, they came upon Minho’s bag, thrown carelessly to the side underneath a bush, belongings strewed everywhere.

“These guys must be in a rush, they’re being pretty careless,” Changbin said, frowning as he picked up the bundle of shriveled lamb’s ear and handed it to Chan, who placed it in Minho’s bag.

“That’s make it easier on us, then,” Han said, dumping a bunch of other items into the bag. “We can track them faster and hopefully catch up before they get to their destination.”

“Yeah, hopefully,” Chan muttered under his breath, tying the bag to his saddlehorn.

~~~

Minho didn’t know how far they’d gone. It was late in the afternoon and all he knew is that he was sore, exhausted, and was in desperate need of water. The ropes tied around his wrists tugged painfully as he stumbled behind the horse he was tied to, the skin red and raw. He was so focused on keeping his footing so he didn’t trip that he didn’t realize that they’d stopped until he slammed into the horse’s rear end, causing it to start and run forward.

Minho definitely didn’t keep his footing after that, nor consciousness, painfully falling to the ground and getting dragged along by the panicking horse. When he woke up again, he was slumped against a tree, hands tied above his head on a branch, a long rope keeping them up. Twilight was slowly turning darker, making it difficult to see where he was.

“I see you’re awake.” The voice hissed in Minho’s ear, making him jump. Minho tried to get his breathing under control as the round-faced man came into view from behind him. “I should hope you don’t try that stunt again.”  
  
“It was an accident,” Minho said quietly, falling limply against the tree, unable to do anything.

“Right. Just like murder of Lord Hughes and his family was an accident.”

“I was framed for that and you know it, Otis.”

Otis tilted his head to the side and gave a noncommittal hum. “Duke Merek doesn’t think so and neither do I. Oh, is that fear I see?”

Minho looked down and tried to turn away, but Otis forcefully grabbed his jaw and forced him to face him.

“So you still fear him,” Otis said, smirking.

“Let me go!” Minho struggled against Otis’s hand.

“You’ve run long enough, Minho. It’s time you pay for your crimes.” Otis’s face turned serious as he said the harsh words and stayed that way as he walked back to the campfire to join the others. Minho stayed up long after the fire had gone out and his capturers had gone to sleep, trying to think of every possible means of escape. Each scenario he ran through either required materials he didn’t have or strength he was quickly running out of. Eventually his thoughts turned to Felix, who for all he knew could be seriously injured ( _Or dead_ , his mind whispered) and eventually the others.

“Hopefully they’re looking for me,” he muttered under his breath as his body finally succumbed to exhaustion and he fell into a fitful state of sleep.

The next day continued on same as the last, until the small group broke out of the dense forest and onto a road that was bordered by fields on either side. A small cluster of huts were nestled in a meadow just beyond the fields and the road wound up through them and over the meadow, disappearing back into the forest that was on the other side.

Minho focused on not making the same mistake again and managed to stop when the horses stopped, avoiding another collision. He tried to catch his breath as Otis and his men viewed a small map, ribs aching as he breathed.

He frowned as he viewed his surroundings, trying to get an idea of where they might possibly be. As he looked to the left of the village, his stomach dropped when he saw the small graveyard in the distance at the edge of the green field, a large stone cross rising from the center.

_It was cold and muddy, a miserable drizzle slowly soaking the clothing of the funeral goers. Minho clung tightly to his uncle’s hand, small body quaking from a mixture of lack of warmth and confusion at the ceremony going on before him._

_Two fresh mounds of dirt were in front of them, their only markers being bouquets of wilting wildflowers at the head of each, picked from the surrounding fields, probably one of the older girls. Minho frowned as he tried to understand the words of the small village’s priest, the Latin pulsating through the air as the prayer dragged on. Losing interest, his mind wandered, and he tugged on his uncle’s hand. “Where are Mama and Papa?”_

_His uncle quietly hushed him. “I’ll explain later, just keep quiet.”_

_“But I want Mama and Papa!” Minho’s voice rose in pitch, shaking slightly with the tears of a tired child._

_His uncle suddenly picked him up and settled him on his hip, shushing him again. Minho pouted, but settled, head coming to rest on his uncle’s broad shoulder, watching the ending of the ceremony with heavy eyes._

_“In the sweat of thy face shall thou eat bread, till though return unto the ground; For out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. Amen.”_

_“Amen,” the small crowd chorused in response._

The rope tugging on his wrists brought Minho out of the past and into the present.

“Get moving, boy,” Otis sneered, coming over and jerking the rope hard enough to make Minho stumble as they moved forward. “We’re not here to smell the flowers.”

“Fine by me,” Minho muttered as they started down the road. “It’s not like I would be welcome home anyways.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the big long thing the priest said is actually kind of the origin of the whole "ashes to ashes, dust to dust," thing (from my understanding, anyways) and it would more specifically be Genesis 3:19 from the King James Version Bible. I kind of cheated and defaulted to that whole thing, so yeah, there's your funeral speech, folks. Also, I apologize, I am in no way familiar with funeral ceremonies, especially ones that would've been associated with a (highly probable) medieval Roman Catholic community, so I mean no offense to any one. I've only ever been to one or two funerals and that was when I was probably about two, so I don't remember anything. I just needed something fancy that I was somewhat familiar with and would seem to fit with the scene and I think I need to stop explaining now (*squints* I also might change that to the NIV version since it would probably be easier to read but then again most of us are probably nerds and can get through ye olde english well enough have I mentioned I'm sleep deprived).
> 
> But yeah, I think this chapter reads a little stiff, tbh, but idk what else to do about it. I'm going to try to start, if not at least finish, another chapter before college starts up again, which is...Monday -.- Hopefully I can actually have a semi-regular schedule with writing this semester, especially since I shouldn't be so overloaded like this last semester (I nearly dropped out, guys, it was so stressful and bad). 
> 
> Also, this is random, but my sister gave me a gag gift this Christmas. She drew the logo from 3RACHA's first mixtape album thing (I think?) and taped it to a big bottle of siracha and gave it to me for Christmas. It was pretty funny, hehehe. I also got the go live in life merch I preorder (hoodie, shirt, mini lightstick thing) the day /after/ Christmas and I was so excited. I can't tell if I got any of the original polaroid photos or the copies that they were doing for the preorder, so if anyone knows how to tell, that would be great to know (I'm pretty sure I got copies, though). 
> 
> Okay, enough rambling, sorry. Have a good night/morning/afternoon/evening/whatever it is where you live!


End file.
